Tag Archives: sport contractors

clay balls, court surface bumps, Pickleball Court Surfaces, Pickleball Courts, Tennis Court Repair, Tennis Court Resurfacing

Asphalt Impurities & Clay Balls on Sports Court Surfaces

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Another common issue seen on athletic court surfaces arises from asphalt impurities, most commonly clay balls.  In this bulletin, we will explain the occurrence of asphalt impurities & clay balls on sports court surfaces.  

The appearance of clay balls begin with small bumps that appear in random areas of the court surface.  When you push on these bumps, they feel hard and do not give.  If you carefully cut into the bumps, you should discover a small pile that looks like ash.

How to clay ball deposits get below the court surface?

Asphalt is made up of rock (mostly limestone, with some other aggregates).  It is held together by asphalt binder, derived from the oil refining process.  Clay deposits are naturally occurring, and heavier in certain regions throughout the ground and rock quarries.  When excavating the limestone, it is impossible to remove 100% of the clay that is laced within.  As shown in the picture below, you can see random pockets of clay in the uncoated asphalt voids.

Why do the court surface bumps appear?

Asphalt is a porous pavement and will allow sub-surface moisture to breathe through it.  Acrylic sport surfacing systems are semi-permeable and will also allow a moderate amount of moisture to breathe through and escape.  Properly constructed courts should be pitched at 1% for drainage, but there is still ground moisture that travels up through the slab.  When the surface of the court is heated from the sun, it draws moisture up from beneath the court in a vapor state.  As the moisture is migrating through the asphalt,  it is absorbed into the clay deposits and the acrylic surfacing layers slow down the escape.  During the process, the clay balls swell and create the visible lumps on the surface.

Clay Ball Bumps On Sport Surface

How to remove clay balls from court surface

So, how do you remedy the situation and remove clay balls from the court surface?  This is usually just an aesthetic issue and normally not a problem that will affect play and the ball bounce.  If it becomes a problem, or when it is time to resurface the court, the following procedures can be performed:

If the clay balls are not creating issues with play and you can wait to remediate the clay balls situation, it will allow time for any potential swelling reactions.  If you do this as soon as it happens, and resurface the court, others may pop up shortly after.  You can remove them as they show up, but you will likely see the touch-up from the different of texture and color.

Avoid Recycled Asphalt For Sport Surfaces

Other asphalt impurities can also create problems with court surfaces.  If possible, avoid using recycled asphalt as it may contain unknown foreign items (i.e. shingles and other various materials).  It is also important to seek out experienced sport construction companies, as they may know what quarries to avoid based on past history of clay deposits and foreign materials.  Contact us for free referrals to qualified installers.

 

Tennis Court Paint, Tennis Court Resurfacing

How Do You Paint A Tennis Court?

If you ask any professional house painter they will tell you, “In hard times, everyone is a painter.”  But if you have ever hired a professional house painter, you will see that they make the job look much easier and better in much less time than the average home owner.  Hiring a professional tennis court painter, or sport surfacing contractor, is the smartest move you will ever make!

Just because it looks like paint and kind of smells like paint, doesn’t mean you apply it the same way.  Tennis court coatings are heavy-bodied and fortified with specialty sand and aggregate.  So, how do you paint a tennis court?  The only good way to apply these coatings is with a specialized tennis court application squeegee.  Using a paint roller on a hot day, in the full sun, on coatings that hold up to 15 pounds of sand per gallon can make a real mess.  Plus, if you’ve never applied coatings with a squeegee, you are in for a not-so-good surprise.  Especially, if you are attempting to paint a two-color court.  Experienced tennis court resurfacing contractors may paint anywhere from 50 to 400 tennis courts in a season.  They have plenty of practice and have the skills to squeegee two different colors that are only separated by a 2″ line, without going over into the other color area.  Not to mention, multiple coats within the same day.

Over the years, many do-it-yourselfers have attempted to paint their own courts with a variety of results.  The vast majority will never do it again and even needed to hire a professional surfacing company to fix their attempt.  Here is just a short list of reasons why it is cheaper and easier to have an experienced tennis court contractor paint or resurface your tennis, basketball, or sports court:

  • Tennis court contractors buy concentrated coatings in large volumes and have better pricing on materials than DIY.
  • Sport contractors have all of the necessary tools and experience to do the job right and quickly.
  • Court contractors also have a specialized line taping machine for layout of straight and curved lines, prior to striping.
  • Most sport contractors have a variety of methods and systems for crack repair, including installation of patented membrane repair systems which require factory training.
  • Construction alternatives: If standard acrylic repair materials cannot address the repairs, tennis court construction companies can offer more permanent repair or reconstruction.

If it is time to paint or resurface your tennis, basketball, or pickleball court and you are looking for a qualified sport surfacing contractor, contact us.  We can put you in touch with experienced installers that can provide free estimates on a professional and affordable court repair, resurfacing, or construction project.